YANA LV — You Are Not Alone, Lehigh Valley — is a monthly mental health-focused show from WDIY's Youth Media Program students Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma. The pair began the show as their own podcast and brought it to WDIY's airwaves in March 2024. Brannagh and Diya tell us more about YANA LV in their own words:
Our names are Brannagh and Diya and we are juniors at Moravian Academy High School located in Bethlehem Pennsylvania. Mental health has played a major role in both of our lives. We believe mental health is of paramount importance as it directly influences our overall well-being and quality of life. It’s the foundation for our emotional, psychological, and social well-being, and it impacts how we think, feel, and act daily.
So why did we create YANA LV? Over the years we have both struggled with our mental health and wanted to establish a new coping mechanism. Additionally, it was two different experiences that led us to the creation of this podcast. For Brannagh it was her brother with autism who often found himself struggling with his mental health. She wanted to show him he was not alone. For Diya, it was how mental health and Indian dance correlate, especially how her instructor’s mental health was impacted. She wanted to show her and her teammates they are not alone.
YANALV is generously supported through a grant from United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley.
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On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma talk with Angie Perucci about being a student athlete and how two major injuries impacted her mental health. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma welcome Sarah Carlson and Vernon J. Mobley, choreographer and composer for 'The Body Keeps the Score,' a dance show focusing on trauma and healing. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma talk with Makkah Davis about how her focus on her Muslim faith connects to her mental wellbeing. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma welcome David Robertson, founder of Joshway, to talk about the organization's mission of helping youth reach their goals. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma are joined by Carlos Andres Gomez, a poet from New York City who writes about the complexities of family, masculinity, and oppression. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma sit down with Jae Galgano to talk about his experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community and the importance of providing education. -
On this episode of YANA LV, Brannagh Breslin and Diya Sharma welcome author Amanda Grieme to talk about writing as a form of stress release and her expression of her experience with bipolar disorder. -
On the debut episode of YANA LV, Brannagh and Diya welcome Herman Abuchowski to talk about his journey with mental health, staying active, and believing in himself as someone with a prosthetic foot.
